On July 29th (originally scheduled for the 29th April), we have a very exciting Tech Tuesday focused on 3D Printing, with a live demonstration:

3D Printing is the process of creating a solid object from a digital model. With the right equipment and designs, you can print virtually anything. The technology has been around since the 1980s, but in recent years the price of a 3D printer has dropped dramatically. Consumer units can be purchased for as little as $3,000. These printers are affordable, personal fabrication tools, compact enough to sit on any desktop, and can allow anyone at any skill level to become producers, inventors and artists.

3D printers, in an academic setting, could allow students to participate in project-based learning that is experiential in nature with real-world applications. 3D printing engages students in the world around them, kindles a curiosity about how machines work, how objects fit together, and how the designers, architects, and inventors who build the products, spaces and technology in their lives have found solutions to a variety of design problems.

3D Printing is the process of creating a solid object from a digital model. With the right equipment and designs, you can print virtually anything. The technology has been around since the 1980s, but in recent years the price of a 3D printer has dropped dramatically. Consumer units can be purchased for as little as $3,000. These printers are affordable, personal fabrication tools, compact enough to sit on any desktop, and can allow anyone at any skill level to become producers, inventors and artists.

3D printers, in an academic setting, could allow students to participate in project-based learning that is experiential in nature with real-world applications. 3D printing engages students in the world around them, kindles a curiosity about how machines work, how objects fit together, and how the designers, architects, and inventors who build the products, spaces and technology in their lives have found solutions to a variety of design problems.